Lisa Fager Bediako
President, Co-Founder
Industry Ears, Inc.
Lisa Fager Bediako draws upon more than seventeen years of experiences in various marketing and public relations roles for major entertainment and radio/television broadcasting companies including Infinity Broadcasting, Capitol-EMI Records and the Discovery Channel. She is the President and Co-Founder of Industry Ears, an advocacy/activist think tank concerned with the impact of media on children and communities of color.
Paul Porter
Co-Founder
Industry Ears, Inc.
For over 20 years, Paul Porter has been a prominent voice in American radio and television. From AT&T to Showtime, his baritone voice and on-camera talent has been recognized in over a half-dozen top venues, his personality resonating on the airwaves of numerous radio stations, and as the announcer for seven consecutive NBA All-Star Shows.
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Blog Archive
Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 8:40 pm
IE Blog
TV One's Dyson praises Michelle Obama's rear end!
Written By: Paul Porter 26 Aug 2008TV One's coverage of last night's DNC convention can be summed up in two words -- Gluteus Maximus. TV One's "After Party" analysis of Michelle Obama rear end by Michael Eric Dyson, lacked class while lowering the low standard for television news. Dyson's admiration for Michelle Obama's figure was off base and deserves an apology from TV One and and the George Town Proffessor. It's tough enough trudging through opinion based biases on a daily level with pundits and analyst, Dyson has officially added sexism to mainstream media's divorce of discussing real issues.
Michael Eric Dyson's referenced a recent trip to Europe, by labeling European women with flat rear ends and was proud to see Michelle Obama's, "gluteus maximus" as a symbol of the beauty of African American women. Education and common sense are obviously two distinct values and Dyson's comments are living proof.
Paul Porter
Industry Ears
CNN Black In America: What's truly next?
Written By: Paul Porter 28 Jul 2008CNN has now successfully focused their lens on Black America like no other news organization in history. The reviews have ranged from ground breaking to a familiar exposure of Black Americas problems.
Will this series open new doors to coverage on issues that normally are never reported? The National Association of Black Journalist released a study Friday that looked at newsroom diversity.
"The study, conducted during the last ten months, found that only 16.6% of the managers at stations owned and operated by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are people of color, and more than a third of the stations have no people of color at all in the managerial ranks," it said. "Among 58 news directors, 17% were non-white: eight were African American, 1 was Hispanic and 1 was Asian. All the news directors of color worked for NBC or Fox. There were no news directors of color at ABC or CBS."
Nas and Colbert have fun with Fox news
Written By: Paul Porter 25 Jul 2008The battle for a fair but balanced media is a work in progress. It's good to see some major coverage with a funny twist. Check out Nas on Comedy Central with Colbert.
Color of Change gets it wrong, while Nas gets it right
Written By: Paul Porter 23 Jul 2008A clear lens can find a myriad of misinformation and race baiting on cable outlets. The reality of television news has systematically slipped into opinions, with a sprinkle of fact.
Many Americans have been outraged at the comments of O'Reilly, Oberman, Beck and Buchanan. Historically, television news has shown an in balance of misguided images targeted at Black Americans. WLBT in Jackson, Mississippi license was revoked after a legal challenge by the NAACP.
Nas, the Def Jam recording artist used his voice on his untitled CD with "Sly Fox" which powerfully describes the short list of media ownership and media bias. Nas new CD debut at number one today with little to new radio or video airplay with over 186 thousand units sold.
Poll shows how the media gets Black leaders wrong
Written By: Paul Porter 16 Jul 2008Gallup poll shows that Americans see leaders different than media coverage.
July 14, 2008
“Black Spokesman” Title Still up for Grabs
But blacks generally optimistic an Obama presidency would be helpful
USA Election 2008 Race Americas Northern America by Lydia Saad
PRINCETON, NJ -- Twenty-nine percent of black Americans name Barack Obama as the individual or leader in the United States whom they would choose as their spokesman for race issues, but 49% name someone else and nearly a quarter produce no name.
The Exploits of a Progressive
Written By: Lisa Fager 14 Jul 2008The supposedly “satirical” cover of the upcoming issue of The New Yorker magazine, featuring a turbaned Senator Obama fist-bumping an Afro-wearing armed Michele Obama, while an American flag burns in the fireplace illustrates the most degrading stereotypical images that have been used against the Obamas thus far and reflect the long historical racist and patronizing treatment of Black people in America.
I am concerned that many people, especially youth, will have an immediate visceral reaction to the cover which may, or may not be relieved by the content of the magazine.
There is nothing whatsoever to reassure us that this cover image is not the only thing that people will take away from the upcoming The New Yorker magazine. Instead, our fellow citizens will be exposed to derogatory depictions of Senator Obama and his wife used by some to fuel hate and further their use of misinformation as a political tool.
For an intelligent and progressive publication such as the The New Yorker to rely on such a cover to sell magazines is irresponsible at best and deeply destructive at worst.
Shameful stereotypes used to degrade Black people in America have led to decades of lynchings, Jim Crow laws, disenfranchisement and the killing of innocent Black men and women. Further, the association of Senator Obama with radical Islamic terrorists and anti-American sentiment has lost any trace of originality and to invoke it here does more harm than good. We owe our children, and our Nation, better than this, especially from those who claim to be instigators of progressive thought.
No ha, ha in New Yorker satire
Written By: Paul Porter 14 Jul 2008The New Yorker Magazine is now added to the long list of media outlets that just don't get. This so called satirical caricature lacks humor and is totally insensitive. Arab garb, AK47's for me are insensitive and not funny at all.
Television still airs in black and white
Written By: Paul Porter 14 Jul 2008Is it me or have you too noticed the abundance of Black people on cable
TV? The primary season included a long list of African Americans,
analyst and pundits. And now the general election race is primed to
change flat screen sets back to the 60's black and white tubes.
Black faces on cable news for over a decade has been limited to the
negative perceptions of the Black male. America has been inundated with
OJ Simpson, Mike Vick, Michael Jackson, Reverend Wright and what Bill
O'Reilly calls "victimization" stories with Black America's two anointed leaders Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
Verizon pulls the plug on "Technigga.com and 1938 media"
Written By: Paul Porter 08 Jul 2008We were glad to see the quick resolution that prevented the vile content of 1938 media to be transmitted to millions world wide on Verizon's V Cast. Working together we all can continue to have our voice's heard. Another prime example on how the web is the silent majority for information.
KNBC in Los Angeles aired this story on the mess. Click Here
RACE MATTERS: Rush Limbaugh's 38 Million a year deal!
Written By: Paul Porter 02 Jul 2008.
Who says race doesn't matter? Although black and white eyes may see life's
path through different lenses the facts remain the same, race counts. Earlier this week I was a guest on "Just In With Laura Ingram" on the Fox News Channel and I realized I played the same game that I so often criticize. I became another television friendly black guest that held back on some real issues. No, not as bad as ultra conservatives Jesse Bond or Larry "Stupid Black Men" Elder who are familiar faces due to their far right stance
